Frank Ocean Talks Upcoming Projects, His Sexuality, and His Coming-Out Letter, With GQ

"The night I posted it, I cried like a fucking baby."

Frank Ocean recently sat down with GQ for a rare, in-depth interview as part of the magazine's Men of the Year issue. He spoke at length about the subjects that defined him and created such a powerful story this year-- his internal and external struggles, his sexuality, his coming-out letter, and the inspiration behind his album channelORANGE. He also offered a peek into what he's got on his plate next.

When asked what motivated him to post his heartfelt open letter about his sexuality on Tumblr, he explained: "I had Skyped into a listening session that Def Jam was hosting for channelOrange, and one of the journalists, 'very harmlessly' wrote a piece and mentioned [the male pronouns in a few of the songs]. I was just like, 'Fuck it. Talk about it, don't talk about it-- talk about this. No more mystery. Through with that."

The catharsis paid off. "The night I posted it, I cried like a fucking baby", he said. "It was like all the frequency just clicked to a change in my head. All the receptors were now receiving a different signal, and I was happy. I hadn't been happy in so long. I've been sad again since, but it's a totally different take on sad. There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness."

Ocean also took the opportunity to address some of the more logistical aspects of his career, like his ongoing struggle with Def Jam. After releasing Nostalgia Ultra for free, the label approached him, at which point he told them: "Give me $1 million if you want the next album."

We're betting that after channelORANGE, Def Jam will allow Ocean to operate freely as he explores his upcoming projects. He told GQ that he's written a song for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Django Unchained and is working on new material for Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. He's also penning his third album and trying to plan a European tour in the model of Pink Floyd's tour for The Wall.